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Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that the Kremlin plans to station nuclear weapons in Belarus, drawing claims of “nuclear blackmail” from Ukraine and condemnation from the United States and NATO.
Putin said the move would counter the U.S.’s deployments of nuclear weapons in different European countries, placing nuclear weapons across the border from NATO member Poland.
“We are doing what they have been doing for decades, stationing them in certain allied countries, preparing the launch platforms and training their crews,” Putin said in a state media interview on Saturday. “We are going to do the same thing.”
Tactical nuclear weapons are made for battlefield use and are not designed for long-range attacks.
Putin has repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear weapons throughout his war on Ukraine, however his comments over the weekend quickly spurred global concern.
He said on Saturday that Russia will complete construction of a storage facility for the weapons by July 1, and has already stationed 10 aircraft in Belarus capable of carrying tactical nukes, according to Al Jazeera. NATO
In a statement on Sunday, NATO called Putin’s comments “dangerous & irresponsible.”
“NATO is vigilant, and were are closely monitoring the situation. We have not seen any changes in Russia’s nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own,” NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a statement. “We are committed to protect and defend all NATO allies.”
Lungescu also said in the statement that Russia’s reference to NATO’s nuclear sharing is “totally misleading,” arguing that NATO members have fulfilled international commitments while Russia recently suspended its involvement in a nuclear treaty with the U.
